


no pets allowed, but i won’t tell

by Megatraven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Fluff, M/M, Marinette's a cat, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 05:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11285097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megatraven/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: Against the rules of his apartment complex, Nino brings a kitten home. When his neighbor Adrien finds out, he strikes a deal to make sure he won’t get turned in. An Adrinino remix.





	no pets allowed, but i won’t tell

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [No pets allowed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7996330) by [KiwiKwami](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiwiKwami/pseuds/KiwiKwami). 



> I kind of added a scene in bcause I was struggling to hit the 1.5k limit for awhile there, even though I ended you at 2k. Sorry!

Nino knew that he was breaking the rules as he brought a tiny bundle of fur into his apartment building. There were weekly newsletters and posters hung just about everywhere denouncing the ownership of animals that weren't fish, so it was kind of impossible to not understand that getting kicked out was a horribly real possibility.

Nevertheless, he calmed and quieted the kitten hidden in his jacket as he took the steps instead of elevator, and the back door instead of the front. It was a lot more effort than normally going to his room, but looking down at the cat's sweet expression, he knew it was worth it. With a smile, he made it to his floor and, after a minute of searching for his keys, unlocked his room and stepped inside, letting the door swing shut by itself.

"Alright, little buddy," Nino said, "I'm gonna give you a bath 'cause you're crazy dirty. After that, I'll go buy some cat food. Sound like a deal?"

The kitten mewed in return and blinked up at him. His heart warmed at the sight as he set up a warm little bath in his sink and pulled his shampoo from the shower. He rubbed dirt and gravel from its fur and skin, over and over until the water ran cold. Figuring he could give it a second bath when the warm water came back, he grabbed a towel and started drying his new companion. It meowed pitifully at him, but as he continued to work, the meows melted into purrs.

"There, see? Not so bad," he murmured in a gentle voice. Wrapping it in the towel, he brought it over to his bed and set it down, letting it finally have a chance to walk around. While it explored, Nino had the opportunity to really get a look at the kitten.

What had initially been a dirty grey cat was now a beautiful white one littered with black spots. Its blue eyes seemed to pop against its fur now, the curiosity in them only accentuating how young it was.

"Alright, dude, I need to go get you some food, so... here, let me just..." He picked the cat back up and walked over to a box he hadn't broken down yet, setting it down inside. He grabbed a blanket and put it in there, as well as a plastic water bottle in case it wanted something to chew on. "I'll be back soon."

With that said, he grabbed his keys, made sure he had his wallet, and left, not looking back, and not realizing that the kitten had escaped the box and ran after him. The door didn't shut until it was already outside and Nino had rounded the corner.

Luck was on his side, and he managed to purchase cat food, a bed, and a few treats and toys pretty quickly. The trek back to his apartment building was easier than when he was carting a kitten around, and he sighed in relief when the elevator door opened to his floor. His relief at not being caught quickly evaporated when he heard his kitten meowing at the door. His neighbor's door. In the hallway. Out in the open.

"No, no, no, dude, c'mon!" he cried out, rushing over and scooping it up before his neighbor could come out. Already fearing that he'd be caught and turned in, Nino scrambled for his keys and fled inside his room. "Okay, it's okay, I don't think anything's gonna happen," he muttered to himself as he mindlessly started unpacking the cat supplies he'd bought. "It'ss be fine, he's probably not even-" a knock at his door- "home..."

Hoping the knocking would stop, Nino hurriedly opened a can of food and set it down for the cat. When the sound persisted, though, he sighed and resigned himself to getting kicked out just as he opened the door.

"Do you have a cat?" his neighbor blurted out, looking around Nino for what he was looking for. Nino almost laughed at how excited the man looked. "I heard one at my door and right when I got to my door, I heard you say something and then you were already gone."

"Oh, um... Sorry, no cat here," he lied, grimacing at how he said it.

"Are you sure?"

"Why do you care, dude?"

At that question, his neighbor turned sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous way. "Well, see, Father never let me have pets growing up, and I couldn't break the rules either. So... now I have the chance to break the rules _and_ hopefully get to see a cat everyday." He paused. "Or every week?"

"You won't tell?" Nino asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"Not a soul, if you let me pet it."

"... Alright. Come on in." He moved aside, and his neighbor stepped in, instantly zeroing in on the kitten eating its food and rushing over.

"It's so cute! Where'd you get it?"

"I was walking back here from work and I heard it in an alley. I stopped to listen, and it eventually came out. Pretty skittish at first, but warmed up to me quickly enough. It was really dirty and I guessed it probably hadn't eaten in a little while, so... I brought it back here."

"Wow," the neighbor breathed. He bent down to be on the cat's level and watched as it finished eating. "What're you gonna name her?"

"No idea, dude, I didn't even know it was a her."

"Oh. Didn't you wash her?"

"Yeah but I was kind of paying more attention to getting fleas and dirt off her, y'know?"

"Mm, that's fair. While we're still kind of on names; hi, I'm Adrien!"

"Nino. It's cool to actually meet you, dude. I think she likes you too," he said, pointing to the kitten who had started rubbing against Adrien's legs with a purr.

Adrien laughed and scratched her head. "Nice to meet you too. I always hear your music- it's really amazing- so I'm really happy your cat finally got me to work up enough courage to introduce myself."

Nino couldn't help the way his cheeks warmed at this news. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it."

"No problem!" He looked at his watch and winced. "Anyways, uh, I'm kind of late for a big meeting now, so I'll see you and this little princess around sometime!"

Adrien stood and headed to the door with Nino and kitten following after him. "Come by anytime, dude. Good luck at your meeting."

"Thanks." He reached down to give the kitten one last pet before leaving.

Slumping against the now-closed door, Nino sighed in relief. It didn't look like he was being kicked out after all, and he even had a new friend and pet to show for it. Said pet rubbed against him once before curling around his shoes.

"I really need to get you a name," he said, moving her to the box he'd hastily put together earlier. She fell asleep rather quickly, and Nino set to work on making his room more cat friendly. By the time he had finished, the kitten had found her way to his bed, and he didn't have the heart to move her when he retired there as well.

When he awoke the next morning, he did so to a bundle of fur on his face and to soft knocking. Groaning, he shifted the kitten off of him and got up.

"Be there in a sec," he called out with a yawn. The knocking stopped and Nino pulled open the curtains to let the light in, surprised when he saw the sun was only just coming up. Dragging his feet to the door, he opened it with a groan of, "Why so early, dude?"

"Oh- sorry, I thought you got up early," Adrien said with an apologetic smile. "I sometimes here you playing around this time, so I just assumed."

Nino stared at him for a good minute before breaking into laughter. Adrien joined in, although Nino swore he was confused over his sudden outburst.

"Dude. Dude. When I'm playing music this early, it's usually 'cause I haven't gone to bed yet. Trust me, I never get up this early."

"Duly noted, I promise I won't come so early in the future."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm guessing you came to see the cat-" Adrien nodded- "she's over on the bed. Do you want some coffee or anything?"

He shook his head. "My agent doesn't want me drinking coffee," he admitted with a shrug, walking over to watch the snoozing kitten.

"Well, what do you want?" Nino asked, grabbing an extra mug.

"People don't usually ask me that," Adrien said with a soft laugh. "I'd really like some, if you don't mind."

"I offered," he pointed out, "of course I don't mind. How do you take it?"

"A lot of sugar, please."

"Sure thing." While his machine began making the coffee, he pulled out his sugar canister and a couple of spoons before walking over to where his neighbor was. "So why're you up so early?"

"My job kinda requires me to be up early. I don't mind though, I'm a morning person."

"Kudos to you then, man." He glanced over at the coffee making its way into the pot. "Coffee's about ready, did you want to take it to go or drink it here?"

"As much as I'd like to hang out and drink it here, I should probably not be late again."

"Alright, that's cool. Hopefully you didn't get in too much trouble," Nino said as they walked over to the small kitchen. He put the mug back and took out a to-go coffee cup before pouring them both some.

Adrien poured in an ungodly amount of sugar, so much that he laughed when he caught Nino gawking at him. "What? Can't a guy have a sweet tooth?"

"Well, yeah, but dude, you're not going to sit still for years with that much sugar in your system!"

"I... didn't think this through. I can't be all jittery with my line of work." He set his cup down and sighed. "Thanks anyways. I should probably get going," he said as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" When Adrien turned back with a question in his eyes, Nino glanced between his own mug and the little bit of coffee left. "I'll make you another cup real quick. You can drink it black or with a little sugar."

"You really don't have to-"

"But I want to," he interrupted. He grabbed another cup and poured his coffee into it, as well as what was left from the pot. Handing it over, he smiled and said, "Here you go, Adrien."

Adrien's cheeks turned pink, and maybe it was just Nino's imagination, but he could've sworn something shifted when their fingers touched as he passed over the cup.

"Thanks, Nino. I'll pay you back sometime, promise." He paused as if he wanted to say more. "Um, maybe I could-" His phone rang loudly, making both them and the kitten jump. With a muttered curse, Adrien poured a bit of sugar in, stirred, and capped his coffee. "I'd better go. See ya?"

"Yeah, see ya," Nino confirmed, waving goodbye when Adrien left. He took a sip of the coffee Adrien had initially made and nearly spit it out. "Oh, that's awful." After pouring it out, he walked over to his bed and sat down, thinking over the events of that morning. Laying back, he was suddenly grateful for everything the kitten coming into his life had caused.

The days that Adrien stopped by turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into a year. Nobody else had found out about the cat, which they'd named Marinette, and their near-daily conversations were always a highlight of the day.

Nino's trust in Adrien continued to grow as their friendship evolved with them and flourished into something more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! <3 Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Reblog here: http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/162180808824/no-pets-allowed-but-i-wont-tell


End file.
